Another interesting month and not just for the variety of coverage the entries gave to the words chosen for the kigo and free format sections. We inadvertently had a name left on some of the calls for votes sent out but not on the web site or on the private e-mailings. Normally we would have pulled the entry and contacted those casting votes for it. This time more than a day and more than thirty votes had been received before notice. In the interest of fairness to the poet involved, we allowed the entry to remain in play. To be completely fair, we are also going to include this month's fourth place haiku of the free format section in this years Annual Poet's Choice, since it would have been moved to third under other circumstances.

Here are the results for the June 2006 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was "Humid" and the Free Format subject was "Turtle".

The haiku are listed in order of total points received from voters. The numbers reflect the number of voters who gave the haiku either three points, two points, or one point -- followed by the total points for all votes.

Those who were given less than three points and who requested anonymity in such a case are so noted.

The results of the voting have been tabulated and are listed below.

Congratulations to Warren Gossett , the winner of our Kigo section, and to Denise Lizarraga, the winner of our Free Format section!

(214 = 12) would indicate that the poem above received two 3-point votes, one 2-point vote, and four 1-point votes.

June 2006 Results
Kigo Theme: Humid	Free Format Theme: Turtle
First Place -- 39 pts humid night only the cat's tail stirs the curtains Warren Gossett (1,10,16) = 39 pts * ~I love the image that this conveys. Nothing moving except the cat's tail. Lovely! * A gentle complementing of images here Second Place -- 35 pts humid night the ice cream vendor pulls back her hair Tom Painting (2,8,13) = 35 pts * ~A wonderfully simple way of describing the humid evening. * A whole childhood of summer memories is brought back by a poet simply making note of this gesture in the right context. * Capturing the simple and eloquent gesture. Third Place -- 26 pts humid night - the old dog runs in his sleep sheila windsor (2,4,12) = 26 pts * True to life humor * Very close to home Fourth Place -- 20 pts humid night a cloud spreads open for the moon Agnes Eva Savich (1,4,9) = 20 pts * I liked the "double layer" in poem #2: a new perspective on the night sky plus the erotic overtone. Simple, well-chosen words work well together to present both a literal image and a suggestive one. Fifth Place -- 17 pts hot and humid-- the neighbor shouts in spanish Kathy Lippard Cobb (2,2,7) = 17 pts Sixth Place -- 16 pts humid evening swallows in and out of the sprinkler -- ushi (1,3,7) = 16 pts * Not flashy, just very simple, and effective humor. I have seen this happen on many evenings with all kinds of birds. humid haze sticky even before this mango susan delphine delaney (0,5,6) = 16 pts humid night— the same book twice as thick Marie Summers (0,4,8) = 16 pts Seventh Place -- 14 pts crematorium - the lobby smelling of humid coats max verhart (1,2,7) = 14 pts Eighth Place -- 13 pts humid night- the space between . . . raindrops ron moss (0,5,3) = 13 pts humid night through an open window the scent of rain Lynne Rees (0,2,9) = 13 pts Ninth Place -- 12 pts humid morning the weight of dew doris kasson (1,3,3) = 12 pts humid morning my hair finally curls City Girl (1,0,9) = 12 pts * It's all in the point of view. Tenth Place -- 11 pts long humid night a creaking fan syncopates with the crickets cate juno (0,4,3) = 11 pts Eleventh Place -- 9 pts oh the humidity! i pick some wedding rice from your cheek aom (tim) (1,1,4) = 9 pts humid air jasmine blossoms children count stars Itchiban (0,4,1) = 9 pts Twelfth Place -- 8 pts these humid nights staring at the sound of the ceiling fan Bill Kenney (1,1,3) = 8 pts humid day gnats move the cow's eyelids martin (1,1,3) = 8 pts Thirteenth Place -- 7 pts humid morning- my favorite shirt ruined Mary Chapman (1,1,2) = 7 pts sweating the ice tea and I humid day Bill Hudson (1,1,2) = 7 pts humid night mosquitoes circle the tent flap Laryalee Fraser (0,2,3) = 7 pts * Been there! The second discomfort heightens awareness of the first to excruciating. humid day: ducks in the shade of the willow --Irene Golas (0,1,5) = 7 pts high humidity the bathing suits still wet on the porch rail Meredith (0,1,5) = 7 pts * True to life. And so we'd put them back on and return to the lake :-) * Evokes a well remembered experience with even the faint smell of suits damp until they turn a bit sour. Fourteenth Place -- 6 pts bowing with the priest in the humid evening, a tall sunflower Darrell Lindsey (2,0,0) = 6 pts humid sunset petals of the wild rose grow pinker kjs (0,2,2) = 6 pts humid without air conditioning -- raised voices -Deborah P Kolodji (0,2,2) = 6 pts humid night drowning in the scent of rotting flowers Beverley George (0,1,4) = 6 pts humid day - a cat on the roof licks itself Israel López Balan (0,0,6) = 6 pts Fifteenth Place -- 5 pts sultry evening the cool brush of humid lips RaV (0,2,1) = 5 pts It's been too humid This Cinco De Mayo To make piñatas Linda Warner (0,2,1) = 5 pts humid dawn-- the sparkle of raindrops left on high voltage wires Gillena Cox (0,2,1) = 5 pts humid afternoon the man's arm and tea glass both sweat Cliff Roberts (0,2,1) = 5 pts tokyo summer stillness in the humid air john tiong chunghoo (0,1,3) = 5 pts Humid day: his ink dish stays wet 'til late afternoon -Gao (0,1,3) = 5 pts * Every time I read it I add more details to the mental painting I'm making from this. humid morning choosing not to sweep the cobweb polona o. (0,1,3) = 5 pts humid park -- the fountain launches a rainbow Origa (0,1,3) = 5 pts humid evening – we kindle the campfire on the third try Zhanna P. Rader (0,0,5) = 5 pts Sixteenth Place -- 4 pts a little humid ~ the aide strips dad's sheets roberta beary (1,0,1) = 4 pts * The power of understatement and implication. Why say everything? humid afternoon ladies scrub their rugs on the sidewalk isa fakir (0,1,2) = 4 pts humid evening-- peonies blush red when she kisses me --Baldhead (0,1,2) = 4 pts humid summer night fan humming one endless note Simply Maire (0,1,2) = 4 pts * Here it's the grinding monotony of one image which heightens the other to produce a vivid sense of sleepless discomfort. humid day - nine months pregnant she showers a third time Leslie Montgomery (0,0,4) = 4 pts humid monday - red kimono bowed on the washing line Paul Hodder (0,0,4) = 4 pts * ~Even the red kimono, otherwise so crisp and decorous, has wilted in the humidity. A delightful haiku. Seventeenth Place -- 3 pts humid spell my coconut candy doesn't set Zaida Lysle (0,1,1) = 3 pts humidity: a lazy fly sticks to the wall Linda Marucci (0,1,1) = 3 pts humid fragrance-- a honeysuckled fence blocks the east wind -Jason Ferguson (0,0,3) = 3 pts humid day-- an empty hammock and my book Mary Lee McClure (0,0,3) = 3 pts humid morning pheasants calling deep in the woods --Derwisz (0,0,3) = 3 pts humid day brown figs gathered in a small box Bruce Ross (0,0,3) = 3 pts surprised by a hummingbird this humid day Chandra Bales (0,1,1) = 3 pts rain soaked garden-- the humidity rising with the sun Ami (0,1,1) = 3 pts humid morning a yellow leaf on the dog's fur Petar Tchouhov (0,0,3) = 3 pts humid afternoon air wringing itself out on me Mary Wuest (0,0,3) = 3 pts humid dusk – even the firefly’s glow seems too warm Nancy Smith (0,0,3) = 3 pts humid day he leaves her without a word Gabriel Sawicki (0,0,3) = 3 pts humid afternoon - scattered on satin sheets first cherries Visnja (0,0,3) = 3 pts	First Place -- 27 pts mexican village the old woman sips soup from a turtle shell Denise Lizarraga (1,7,10) = 27 pts * For me this communicates a meditative moment where life is so hard one must chose one life over another. As the name is unknown to me it didn't influence my choice. Second Place -- 24 pts winter sky - a bleached turtle shell full of leaves Chris Eichenberger (2,3,12) = 24 pts * I would give this haiku more pts. if I could....lovely imagery * An appealing visual haiku; I see the scene as bleak and beautiful. Third Place -- 22 pts show and tell-- his box turtle won't come out aom (tim) (0,4,14) = 22 pts * I share the young one's disappointment and chagrin. * Excellent! I'd give this one more points, if I had them. How often does nature not co-operate with mankind's intentions? VERY WELL DONE! THE BEST poem, IMO! Fourth Place -- 21 pts old turtle lagging behind its shadow Petar Tchouhov (2,3,9) = 21 pts Fifth Place -- 20 pts egg moon - a green turtle climbs the beach lorin (2,4,6) = 20 pts Sixth Place -- 19 pts turtle... I too wish to think outside the box Tom Painting (0,6,7) = 19 pts Seventh Place -- 18 pts turtle-- just a matter of time Mary Lee McClure (1,6,3) = 18 pts * Very concise, "time" can be taken two ways: turtles live long, or turtles are slow moving creatures. summer morning – a white butterfly warms up on a turtle's back Zhanna P. Rader (1,4,7) = 18 pts Eighth Place -- 16 pts on his upper arm the old man's tattoo a wrinkled turtle max verhart (2,2,6) = 16 pts * the indirect approach to a topic, this time of aging. The word 'old' becomes superfluous, but I'm voting on the theme I've identified of "show, not tell." Ninth Place -- 12 pts turtle-neck sweater --hiding the hickey from dad brenda roberts (0,2,8) = 12 pts * Hahaha, teenaged daughter! Good ah-ha moment. Tenth Place -- 10 pts at the curb running away from home the boy's turtle Cliff Roberts (1,2,3) = 10 pts pausing to let the sea turtle pass night jogger susan delphine delaney (0,3,4) = 10 pts holding traffic . . . the turtle in the old man's hands Dustin Neal (0,3,4) = 10 pts midday sun -- a turtle's shadow on the algae Laryalee Fraser (0,2,6) = 10 pts Eleventh -- 9 pts the mother winces as her baby's head pushes through the turtleneck cate juno (1,2,2) = 9 pts milky-colored moon - heave of a green sea turtle laying white eggs Bruce H. Feingold (1,1,4) = 9 pts sunrise a turtle's shadow on the move Ann K. Schwader (0,4,1) = 9 pts Twelfth Place -- 8 pts in the sand... tourist turtles up to their necks shanna (0,3,2) = 8 pts truck stop café- a turtle shell ashtray lit by the moon r o n . m o s s (0,2,4) = 8 pts * Echoes Basho's ideal of mixing the mundane object with the elegant topic. pottery class-- the little girl who works so slowly makes a turtle Linda P. (0,1,6) = 8 pts Thirteenth Place -- 7 pts traffic jam a turtle walks past Dave (0,2,3) = 7 pts first sunbeam chasing the turtle up the dune ---Derwisz (0,2,3) = 7 pts reflecting pond a box turtle travels the length of my cane ed markowski (0,2,3) = 7 pts * Not funny in the way #8 is, but again shows us the turtle is slow without merely telling us that. foreclosure— a little boy peers through an empty turtle shell Marie Summers (0,0,7) = 7 pts * good connection between the foreclosure on a mortgage and the empty turtle shell. * Technically okay and a telling metaphor, it still read to me without 'heart' like the 'empty shell'. Fourteenth Place -- 6 pts a turtle race... though you came last, you're my turtle! Tom (0,2,2) = 6 pts * Almost 'too cute' it none-the-less communicates its loyalty. Fifteenth Place -- 5 pts Boston Aquarium the turtle scrapes its fin on a window frame Bruce Ross (1,0,2) = 5 pts Quietly through the garden turtle speed Ashi (0,2,1) = 5 pts snapping turtle the swimming hole clearing Barbara Snow (0,1,3) = 5 pts her pet turtle left in my care— we're still friends Bill Kenney (0,1,3) = 5 pts summer storm- a turtle paperweight holds down my papers angelee deodhar (0,1,3) = 5 pts Sixteenth Place -- 4 pts turtle dove how like a pigeon's is your poop Colin Stewart Jones (1,0,1) = 4 pts the gardener trips over a turtle sculpture-- purple dahlias Ami (1,0,1) = 4 pts a sandy beach— in my meager pot turtle soup John Daleiden (0,2,0) = 4 pts summer breeze - another turtle arrives to the pond Israel López Balan (0,1,2) = 4 pts stepping into the road to help him cross I become the turtle suzume shi (0,1,2) = 4 pts water hole the three-legged turtle sunbathing polona o. (0,0,4) = 4 pts * Three-legged: poor fellow had a mishap or narrow escape. twilight beach - a turtle peeps out peeps in Narayanan Raghunathan (0,0,4) = 4 pts summer evening another pink turtle slips into the sea j blain (0,0,4) = 4 pts Seventeenth Place -- 3 pts the turtle lies still in the shadows -- no one is home --Aalix (0,1,1) = 3 pts garden turtle just can't move - cherry petal on its back Boris Nazansky (0,1,1) = 3 pts up-ended turtle: head and limbs flail in the gentle breeze Vaughn Seward (0,1,1) = 3 pts sea turtle- in the moonlight returns to the ocean Mary Chapman (0,0,3) = 3 pts turtle in box climbing all day nowhere to go Itchiban (0,0,3) = 3 pts * Leaves the reader with a sad feeling. Poor confined creature.Well written. turtle crossing it's suggested that you bring your lunch Karen Briggs (0,0,3) = 3 pts * I expected ku on slow turtles. This says so without directly saying so. * I like the dry humor here. * Hahaha! good senryu! Too bad I didn't have enough points to vote for this one, too! sunrise painted turtles bask on a mud bank Warren Gossett (0,0,3) = 3 pts midnight crossing path with a turtle john tiong chunghoo (0,0,3) = 3 pts day moon the turtle naps under a shade tree Carmel Lively Westerman (0,0,3) = 3 pts walking home under a full moon snapping turtle Lynne Rees (0,0,3) = 3 pts turtle derby rookie journalist's photo finish -- ushi (0,0,3) = 3 pts * Again the indirect approach to showing us real life. Yet the humor is not for the turtle, but the career of journalism. * The journalist's been given an "unimportant" assignment? A lot to be construed here. Nice. uphill climb a turtle races beside me doris kasson (0,0,3) = 3 pts evening stroll -- whistling granddad overtakes a turtle Nancy Smith (0,0,3) = 3 pts

Thanks for another good month of haiku and comments, it keeps the kukai vibrant. We will be posting the next Call for Submissions on or about July 3rd and look forward to hearing from you!

Robert and Jennie, co-secretaries
Gary Warner, web host

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